Former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine describes brutal D.C. attack by teen gang: ‘Bunch of punches’

Former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine appeared on “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Monday to discuss the brutal attack that left him injured earlier this summer.

Coristine was assaulted at about 3 a.m. by a group of teenagers in Washington’s Logan Circle neighborhood on Aug. 3. Last week, a 15-year-old from Hyattsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty in juvenile court to felony assault, simple assault, robbery and attempted robbery in connection with the incident.

Speaking to Fox News Channel host Jesse Watters, Coristine said that he was hanging out with his friend group shortly before the attack.

“I was walking one of my friends back to her car, and as we’re walking to the car, there’s a group of 10 guys right across the street,” Coristine recalled. “They start shouting at us. And really quickly, I knew something was really off about the situation.”

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The 19-year-old said that he rushed his female friend into the driver’s seat, and she locked herself in the car before the attack began.

“They’re just a few feet away and they slammed me against the car,” Coristine said. “They started throwing a bunch of punches. I keep my hands up…luckily, the whole thing didn’t last too long.”

“The police showed up pretty quickly, so I was very fortunate I only came out with a broken nose and a concussion,” he added. “It could have been a lot worse.”

When asked what inspired him to move to Washington, D.C. and work for DOGE, Coristine said that he felt a “great responsibility to serve my country.”

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“My grandfather was this KGB double agent for the Americans, and he died so that I could come here and live in this free country that I love so much,” the teenager said. 

“And so when I started seeing these problems….like this $37 trillion national debt and counting…I was like, wow, this is insane. Is there any way that I can help solve this? And in this administration, there was a chance. So of course, when I saw the opportunity, I signed right up.”

President Donald Trump reacted to the assault shortly after it was reported in August, calling D.C. crime “totally out of control.”

“Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!”

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.